Voters once again asked to financially support 911 center

For the third time in six years, Flathead County voters are being asked to support a ballot measure to help fund the ongoing need for equipment upgrades at the Flathead Emergency Communications Center.

And after two failed attempts, county officials are hoping the third time is the charm.

If passed, the measure on the Nov. 3 general election ballot would create a new special tax district to help fund the center’s needs by assessing property values throughout the county and would raise just over $3.5 million annually. The cost to area homeowners would be roughly $17.68 for every $100,000 of home value.

An interlocal agreement forged in 2009 has had the cities of Whitefish, Columbia Falls and Kalispell, as well as the county, contributing to the center’s budget since its inception, but the new proposal would eliminate the cities’ requirement to help fund the 911 center, essentially shifting the operation of the center from the 911 board to county control and eliminating the need for the cities to tax their citizens separately to pay for the center’s needs.

Though cities would no longer be contributing funding to the 911 center if the levy passes, they would still be represented on the center’s operations board.

This marks the third time since 2014 that Flathead County’s citizens have been asked to change the way the center is funded. In 2014 a ballot measure that would have funded approximately $1.8 million a year fell just 10 votes short after a recount. In 2015, the commissioners proposed a special district with a flat tax of $25 a year for homeowners and a sliding scale of $50 to $1,000 for businesses, but that plan was abandoned amid huge opposition.

“This has been an issue for many, many years,” County Administrator Mike Pence said in an interview in July. ”We have tried twice to change the funding mechanism and both times it has failed, but the board thinks it is time to try again.”

THE BULK of the center’s current $3.6 million annual budget comes from fees paid by each of the three incorporated cities based on their population, bringing in $2.59 million, with additional funding coming from a tax on telephone services and other sources. One problem with the current system is that city taxpayers essentially pay twice, once in city taxes and again at the county level — something that would be eliminated by the new proposal.

The proposed assessment for the levy would bring in an estimated $3.5 million in its first year, or just over $900,000 more than the current interlocal agreement. It’s money that 911 Director Elizabeth Brooks has said the center sorely needs to keep its equipment up-to-date.

“Currently, we are keeping the lights on, but as far as making improvements to keep up with the needs of our first responders, that’s where we are falling short,” Brooks told the Daily Inter Lake in July.

According to Brooks, the 911 center faces the constant challenge of keeping its equipment up to date as it continues to provide service for a 5,200-square-mile coverage area that is seeing record growth.

In 2019, the 911 center received 132,013 calls for service, a 6% increase from the previous year and a 13% increase from 2015. As the need for service increases, so do the demands on the 911 Center’s communications equipment and personnel.

While Brooks is not worried about the 911 communications equipment failing anytime in the near future, the center is fighting an ongoing battle to keep its equipment up-to-date as they combat an increase in communications interference as the population of the Flathead Valley continues to grow.

Reporter Jeremy Weber may be reached at 758-4446 or jweber@dailyinterlake.com.